


Together With You

by fio



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Reality, Baking, Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, Fluff without Plot, M/M, Married Life, Sheithlentines 2018, Trans Keith (Voltron), Two Dads and a Baby, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-23 14:58:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13790136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fio/pseuds/fio
Summary: On Shiro's rare day off, he and Keith make a point to make up for missing Valentine's Day proper with a cake and day spent together, just the two of them and their little baby girl.





	Together With You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [morivseyo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/morivseyo/gifts).



> My Sheithlentines back fill for @morivseyo who wanted a bunch of soft cozy Shiro/Keith family things and I had to oblige, this is literally nothing but fluff and goo and more fluff though so be prepared! Hope you enjoy and had a fun Valentine's season!

The shifting on the bed woke Keith up from his dream of something small and red, roaring and zipping around the sky, but his body was still too heavy with sleep to move much or make his eyes open. He grumbled unhappily, his hand reaching forward and making sure the body next to him was still within reach.

" _Why_ are you awake?"

His voice came out cracked and rough, muffled further by the pillow his face was still pressed into. Beside him, he felt more than he heard Shiro laugh, the deep, comforting vibrations of it rumbling through the mattress.

"Sorry."

"It's your day off," Keith croaked. "You're _supposed_ to sleep in."

"I know, I know," Shiro chuckled. He shifted again, but this time he moved closer until he was pressing his sheepish smile into Keith's bangs. "But I feel kinda like a kid on Christmas. Too excited to sleep."

Keith harrumphed. He never had that experience as a kid, and he knew Shiro hadn't either, but they were both familiar with the phrase. Eyes still closed, he snaked his arms around Shiro's sides, wrapping them snuggly behind his back to hold him tight and keep him in place.

"Too bad. You're not allowed out of bed." Keith nipped at Shiro's collarbone. "Not until I say so."

Shiro hummed thoughtfully, one of his hands finding Keith's neck to start playing with his hair. "Hard to argue with that. But you do know there's someone else in this household now who has greater authority than even you. If she called, I'd have to leave immediately..."

"She's sleeping, too, so you're staying put," Keith groused.

"So bossy," Shiro said, sounding quite happy to be bossed around.

Keith loosened his grip now that he was satisfied Shiro wouldn't be getting out of bed and yawned into his skin. Shiro snuggled closer, one hand still massaging through Keith's hair as the other found his thigh. Keith kicked his leg up and around Shiro's beneath the covers to keep him in place, rubbing his calf against Shiro's toasty pajama bottoms, and got an amused, teasing squeeze in return. Keith was glad he caught Shiro today before he could sneak away to wander around the house doing whatever weird things morning people did, Shiro's warm skin and steady breath blowing his bangs around keeping him comforted and cozy. He couldn't fall back asleep though despite his grogginess and after a few minutes of lying together he grumbled.

"What time is it, anyway?"

"Uh, just before six."

Keith groaned. "The sun isn't even up, Shiro..."

Shiro laughed, kissing Keith's forehead apologetically. "Sorry, sorry."

With his usual schedule, Shiro couldn't help being an early riser and he liked to get up once he was awake rather than laze around much. Keith always felt a pang of loneliness when he woke up to an empty bed and it didn't help that Keith usually woke up closer to the afternoon thanks to his own irregular hours. But while he always did his best to wake up reasonably early on Shiro's days off so they could spend more time together, _before dawn_ wasn't exactly what Keith considered _reasonable_. 

"You're the worst," Keith muttered as he grabbed the covers and pulled them over his head.

"Aw, baby, don't say that." Shiro's fingers squeezed gently over Keith's neck before dipping down beneath the collar of his sleep shirt, nails dragging lightly across his shoulders the way Keith liked. "Don't hide, I'm all lonely now."

Keith ignored his playful pleading and instead tucked himself further under the blankets, shaking his head against Shiro's chest and tickling him with his hair. When he felt Shiro laugh against him, Keith bit teasingly onto his pec, making Shiro squawk quietly in surprise. Shiro's fingers pinched him gently for the bite which just made him do it again, trying to hide his giggling.

"Oh, is _that_ how it's gonna be?" Shiro asked.

Keith had a moment more of warning before Shiro's hand on his thigh suddenly gripped him tight and the fingers on his back slipped out of his shirt and tugged hard at the covers, pulling them open as he rolled Keith onto his back and pushed him up against the pillows. Keith laughed breathlessly as Shiro buried his face into his neck, rubbing his morning stubble against Keith's skin in playful punishment. Keith's legs wrapped up around Shiro's waist, more interested in keeping Shiro pressed against him than trying to escape their game.

"Still the worst," Keith lied while his hands slid up across the shaven sides of Shiro's hair.

Shiro hummed against Keith's neck, pressing a kiss where his skin was turning pink.

"Absolute worst."

The next kiss moved up against his jaw, slower and more deliberate.

"Just... the biggest... most... super worst," Keith sighed, not caring that he wasn't making sense. His belly swooped like he'd just dropped down a rollercoaster as Shiro hummed in response to every word and kissed across his cheek, his nose, his chin, before pausing just above his lips.

They stared at each other, eyes dipping down to their mouths and back up again, while Shiro's arms slid beneath Keith's back, keeping their chests held tight against each other.

"Am I really that bad?" Shiro asked, putting on his best pout.

Keith nodded slowly, still staring at his mouth. "Sometimes I can't believe I married you."

Neither of them could hide the bright smiles spreading across their faces then, and Keith lifted his head up to bite playfully at the tip of Shiro's nose when he still wouldn't kiss him.

"It feels like a dream sometimes," he admitted quietly, no longer joking.

"Then I don't feel so bad about waking you up anymore," Shiro said and _finally_ met Keith's lips with his own.

Keith was no longer groggy despite the horrendously early hour, so he fully enjoyed the slow, lazy kisses as Shiro pressed him back into the pillow. He let his hands drift away from Shiro's hair to slide over his shoulders and across his back, just wanting to touch him. After a while Shiro rolled them back onto their sides so he could more easily move his hands too, winding their way back up into Keith's hair and resting against his cheek. Keith sighed happily into Shiro's mouth, grateful just to have him there.

He was grateful about _so much_ about Shiro. Sometimes Keith felt greedy, getting to have this life with Shiro and still wanting more time with him when he was so busy. But he always felt relieved in moments like this, Shiro holding him just as tightly as Keith held onto him, that he wasn't the only one who wished the world would melt away and leave just the two of them for a while.

The anxieties in his belly were chased away the longer they laid together and his mind filled with more relaxed, amused things. It felt like they were teenagers again, making out just for the sake of it and soaking in each other's warmth and closeness. Keith laughed as he thought about it, the many times they'd made plans but gotten nothing done, instead spending their entire afternoon unable to keep their mouths or their hands to themselves. 

"Hm?" Shiro toned when Keith couldn't stop laughing against his lips.

"The sun's up," Keith answered, feeling the heat of the rising sun on his legs as the sunshine began to pour in through the windows. They'd been at it long enough that the horrendous hour had turned slightly more reasonable and now Keith wanted to get started on their morning if he wasn't going to be falling back asleep.

Shiro paused, opening an eye and peeking over Keith's shoulder. He squinted for a second—either against the light or in displeasure at Keith's attention being pulled away from him, Keith wasn't sure—and then closed his eye again and resumed kissing Keith as if he hadn't stopped at all.

"Don't see it. Don't know what you're talking about," Shiro mumbled between kisses, one of his hands finding the covers and bringing them up to trap them both beneath them and block out the light.

"Oh, _now_ you want to stay in bed and pretend like we don't have to get up?" Shiro's mouth moved back to Keith's neck as he nodded, wanting exactly that. "I don't _think_ so," Keith said as he gave Shiro's ear a quick nibble in warning.

Keith squeezed his legs where they were still wrapped around Shiro's and heaved before Shiro could get out much more than startled, "Keith, wha—"

The blankets were tossed across the bed and Shiro ended up propped up on his knees, held up by Keith's shins with a stunned look on his face. But after a moment Shiro snorted, dropping his hands to Keith's legs and patting them.

"I forget how easily you can manhandle me," he said with a laugh as Keith released him to make his way over to the dresser. "But what happened to not allowing me to get up?"

"Until I said so. And now I'm saying so," Keith said, sticking out his tongue.

A short, loud call from the next room caught both of their attention, cutting off whatever playful protest Shiro was about to offer. Keith smiled and nodded his head towards the door.

"And _that_ sounds like duty calling for you, Mr. Shirogane."

Shiro lifted a hand to his forehead in a pretend salute as he quickly pushed off the bed.

"I'll get her changed and started on breakfast. You showering first?"

"Mm."

"Then I'll see you in the kitchen for our appointment, Mr. Shirogane," Shiro said with a wink, dashing over to give Keith one last kiss and grab the shirt Keith had pulled out to offer him before slipping out the door to attend to their daughter.

One quick shower and a change into his comfiest sweatpants and lounging shirt later, Keith wandered into the kitchen to find Shiro already setting out all the ingredients for their planned baking project while Andromeda sat content in her highchair, slowly working on eating her cereal. Keith hurried over to give her a quick kiss good morning and received an affectionate pat on the face and a cornflake up his nostril in return.

"I think I've got everything," Shiro said proudly, looking over the recipe sheet he had printed out.

Keith blew out the cornflake and took a quick look at the island covered in measuring cups, various utensils and baking goods. "Looks like it. Did you pick what pan you wanted to make it in?"

Shiro blinked at him, then at the assorted ingredients and cooking tools. There was a baking pan among them, but he looked at it with suspicion now.

"Uh. Isn't there only one to choose from?" Shiro asked hopefully.

"This recipe can be made in a few different ways, depending on the size and type of pan you pick, and that changes the cooking time and stuff. You... didn't pick which version of the cake you wanted?"

Shiro turned back to him, looking distraught. "I thought we were making a cake just one way. It says 'chocolate cake' right at the top not 'pick-your-own-adventure cake.' How many pans are there to choose from?"

Keith bit his lip to keep from laughing, but he couldn't hide his grin and Shiro was starting to blush in his embarrassment. 

"We have a few. Do you want layers or just one big cake?"

"Just one please. Wait, unless _you_ want layers," Shiro said with a frown.

Keith pushed up on his toes to give Shiro an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "I don't care what shape you bake it in, I'm just excited to share it with you later."

Shiro chased his lips as he dropped back down, kissing him gently a few times before pressing their foreheads together and breathing out a sigh. Keith found it cute how easily Shiro could get wound up and nervous about little things while always keeping his cool when it really mattered. And he was happy to provide relief about those tiny things, glad to be helpful no matter how minor the trouble. 

"Then let's stick with one big cake. I'm not sure I'll be able to keep track of anything more than that."

As if in enthusiastic agreement, Andy chose that moment to make a loud squeal from her seat and slap the trey of her high chair, giggling as cornflakes went flying.

"You think that's a good idea too, don't you, baby?" Shiro cooed at her, making her giggle again. "Well, if Andy thinks so, then it's decided. Uh. Did I grab the right one or does this mean we need a different one?"

"I'll get it," Keith said, touching his hand to Shiro's waist before walking around him towards the cabinets. "You just start reading the instructions, go through each step."

"First step is preheating the oven. I did that, but double check to make sure I didn't set it to explode."

"Don't think you can do that with an oven," Keith laughed, but he glanced at it just to make sure. There was no telling what kind of disaster Shiro could cause in a kitchen, which was why today's attempt was going to be carefully supervised. "Looks good. Next step."

"Okay, strain and shake in the flour and stuff all in one bowl."

"Not just straight out of the boxes. _After_ measuring this time."

"Right! Right. We don't want a repeat of Pancake Day."

Shiro handled measurements so precise he could land and pilot machines on planets billions of miles away, but put a bag of flour or baking mix in his hands and he'd end up with burnt abominations more fit for a Lovecraft novel than a kitchen table. Pancake Day had been particularly harrowing, with half-cooked dough still being found on the ceiling weeks later.

After grabbing the right size baking pan, Keith set it on the island and moved back over to stand by their daughter and watch as Shiro very carefully measured out flour and baking soda and started sifting it into the mixing bowl. While Andy played with his fingers, decorating them with cornflakes, Keith made sure Shiro kept to the right measurements and didn't put in double the baking soda when he was supposed to use baking powder.

"What the hell is the difference between them, anyway?" Shiro asked once he'd poured in the proper amount.

"You're the nerd, shouldn't you know?" Keith teased.

Shiro leveled him with a weary look, one he made when he knew he was being baited but couldn't stop himself from correcting. "I'm an engineer, not a chemist, Keith."

"Wow, sorry, Dr. McCoy."

" _Now_ who's the nerd?" Shiro laughed.

"Okay, okay, focus," Keith said, sticking out his tongue. "Don't mix up the salt and the sugar this time."

The two ingredients had been deliberately set out on opposite sides of the island to help prevent such a mistake, but Shiro still looked nervous as he double- and then triple-checked the recipe for how much he should use of each. While he carefully reached for the full cup and three-fourths cup measuring scoops, Keith had his attention dragged away by the unhappy noises that were growing in volume coming from his right.

"What is it, baby?" he asked quietly, as if speaking too loud would disrupt Shiro's process. Andy reached both her arms upwards and whined, no longer interested in playing with her cornflakes and wanting to be held. Keith checked what was left in her bowl and felt satisfied she'd eaten enough before opening up the highchair and lifting her onto his hip. He nuzzled her forehead gently and smiled when she babbled happily, but frowned when she started to grip at his neck and his hair and he felt the stickiness of sugary cereal on her fingers. "Let's wash our hands, honey."

The sink was behind Shiro so Keith wasn't moving very far, but as he stepped away from the island, Shiro looked up quickly from his mixing bowl.

"Where are you going?" 

"Andy's sticky, we're just using the sink."

"Oh, okay," Shiro said, relaxing again. But he didn't turn back to the cake mix and instead kept watching them.

As Keith turned on the faucet lightly and pulled it closer for Andy, he looked back over his shoulder. "What?"

"Nothing."

"You can keep going, I'm sure you can handle it," Keith said with a laugh.

"But how can I concentrate without my favorite people in sight?" Shiro asked with a smile, making no move to stop watching. Keith started to roll his eyes but Shiro suddenly made a face, pointing his finger at Keith. "Uh, baby."

"Hmm?" Keith hummed, preening a little. Since they now had an actual baby around, Keith didn't get to hear Shiro use that pet name for him as often and he missed it.

But Shiro shook his head, clearly not picking up on Keith's flirtatious look. "No, _the baby_ , she's—"

The warm spray of the faucet hit Keith's face before Shiro could finish. The pressure was low but the water went up his nose as he turned his head around and caught him by surprise, making him try to scramble backwards to get away from it, but Andy had the sink head in her hands with a vice grip so he couldn't get very far.

"Wha— Shiro— Help!"

Immediately moving forward, Shiro's chest pressed against Keith's back as he reached around them both to quickly shut off the faucet. Keith's bangs and face were now wet and dripping down onto Andy in his arms while she made curious noises when the water stopped, shaking the sink head a few times to try and turn it back on before giving up and dropping it in disinterest. Shiro didn't step away, instead lifting his hands to the sink on either side of Keith. Keith could feel the laughter bubbling out of Shiro and vibrating through them both where they stood flush together and it made Keith want to sigh and lean back into him.

"I can't believe I'm not the first one wreaking havoc in the kitchen this time," Shiro cooed down at their daughter from over Keith's shoulder. She didn't seem to care much about the honor of winning that particular race and continued to focus on holding her hands up towards Keith's chin, trying to stop the water drops from reaching her.

"I'm _so_ proud of you," Keith drawled, wiping some of the water off his face with the back of one hand.

"Thank you, baby, couldn't have done it without you," Shiro teased, pressing a long, loud kiss to Keith's damp cheek.

"I know what you're doing. You're stalling," Keith said, spinning around until his back was to the sink.

With how close Shiro had been up against him, reorienting left them nose-to-chin and Shiro quickly took advantage of the new position to start kissing Keith there, and then his forehead, and then back down to his lips, unbothered by the water still dripping off Keith's bangs getting his face wet, too.

"You haven't even gotten to the eggs yet," Keith pointed out between kisses.

"Mmm, I know," Shiro hummed, shameless.

"You promised me a Valentine's day treat to make up for having work that day. Unless you want to serve up a bowl of flour with some sugar in it, you should get back to work."

Shiro sighed, closing his eyes and dropping his forehead to Keith's shoulder. Andy was able to reach him from the new position and eagerly ran her hands over his chin, the feel of the stubble he'd yet to shave off making her giggle.

"The bowl of flour will probably taste better," he said. Despite his eagerness to hop out of bed and get started not too long ago, he sounded resigned to failure already.

Keith pressed a kiss to Shiro's ear, then another into his hair as his free hand lifted up to Shiro's cheek. "No it won't. Everything you make tastes good, it just comes out a little..."

"Hideously malformed? Burnt beyond saving? Inedible?" Shiro supplied.

"I was going to say _extra toasted_ ," Keith said, chuckling lightly. And it was true. Even the terrifying looking abominations from Pancake Day had _tasted_ good despite being misshapen and full of air bubbles from too much baking powder. As long as they ate around the burnt parts that had spilled out or exploded onto the stove top from the skillet. 

Shiro lifted his head back up, getting frustrated noises from Andy now that he wasn't close enough to touch anymore, and gave Keith a searching look for a moment. Then his hands lifted away from the sink, his arms on either side of Keith now closing around his back and pulling him to Shiro's chest, though he was careful not to squeeze hard and squish Andy between them. Keith's wet skin and hair were leaving damp marks on Shiro's shirt, but Shiro didn't seem to mind.

"Will you help?" Shiro asked into Keith's hair.

"Not just supervise?"

"No, I want you to handle the measurements. That way at least I'll know I haven't ruined it before it even gets into the oven."

"Okay," Keith said, pushing up on his toes to kiss Shiro's chin. If Shiro wanted his help, of course he'd give it. "Just let me go dry off and grab Andy's playpen so I'll have my hands free."

After one more squeeze, Shiro stepped back to the island and let Keith pass over Andy before heading to the bathroom to towel off. The front of his shirt and collar were dotted with wet spots but he wasn't seriously soaked anywhere so once he was satisfied that his bangs weren't going to drip anymore, he wandered back towards the living room.

The baby's playpen was by the couch and full of so many toys it took Keith a bit of time to search through them and make sure her favorite lion doll was among them. Andy was usually well behaved enough to sit in the playpen whenever they couldn't be holding her, but ever since they'd brought home the special stuffed animal, she'd started to throw fits if it wasn't in there with her.

Maybe, _just maybe_ they were spoiling her a bit too much, he thought as he rifled through the giant pile. But he knew one look at her face when she spotted something in the aisles at stores would be enough to make even the most stubborn, heartless person cave. Keith couldn't stomach the thought of disappointing her and fortunately all the things that caught her eye were fluffy and colorful animal dolls so they didn't have to worry about her accidentally swallowing tiny toy pieces while she played by herself. 

Once he found her favorite toy, he quickly wheeled the whole pen back towards the kitchen to position it in the doorway where it would be close enough to easily check on her from where they were.

"Hey, big girl," Shiro said as he gave her cheek a kiss and walked her over, "guess where you get to play?"

She babbled in answer until she spotted the lion in Keith's hand and the babbling turned into a joyous shriek, her hands straining forward for it.

"Lion is happy to see you, too," Keith cooed, rubbing the toy gently against her face once she grabbed it. Shiro lowered her down into the playpen where she fell back onto the mountain of dolls as she began to bite around the lion's ears, and then took Keith's hand to lead him back over to the island.

"I know this was supposed to be my make up gift to you, but thanks for helping," Shiro said, his voice quiet as his fingers played with Keith's wedding band.

Keith squeezed Shiro's hand and brought it to his lips.

"My gift is getting to spend the day with you. The cake is just a bonus."

Shiro stared at him, then spread the hand Keith had against his mouth across his cheek, pulling him forward as Shiro leaned in to kiss him once.

"You told me not to stall anymore but it's taking a _lot_ of effort not to heft you over my shoulder and take you back to bed right now."

Keith's face went hot as Shiro pulled away. At the sight of Keith's blush and surprise, Shiro took a second to breathe and then nodded, turning back towards the island.

"Okay. Let's get to it."

After a few more seconds of stunned silence, Keith pinched at his nose and let out a sigh before stepping forward and smacking Shiro hard on the ass. As Shiro yelped and brought a hand back to rub at it, Keith laughed and teased, "You... are the _worst_."

Miraculously, the two of them did manage to focus after that and get back to preparing the batter. Keith did the measuring for the cocoa and Shiro sifted it in with the rest, then made sure there were no lumps just like the recipe instructed. They didn't have a mixer so it was Shiro's job to wield the spoon and do it with manpower as Keith started to pour in the melted butter, followed by the oil. Next to be added was a mixture of vanilla, milk and water which Keith quickly measured out and added in, and Shiro had to strain a little bit as the texture of the mix began to turn more doughy.

While Keith waited for Shiro to finish the step, he felt grateful that the shirt he'd grabbed for Shiro earlier had been a sleeveless tank top, the word _Father_ spelled across it with elements symbols off the periodic table. He got a little dazed, watching Shiro's bicep flex as he smoothed out the batter, and didn't realize Shiro was saying something until his arm stopped moving and Keith's eyes darted up to his face.

Shiro was raising an eyebrow at him. "Baby?"

"Huh? What's she doing?" Keith asked, spinning around to look behind him. Andy was making a tiny dinosaur toy ride her lion while she babbled at them, not causing any trouble and happily ignoring them both. Keith turned back in confusion, but Shiro was just smiling at him now.

"I meant _you_ , Keith. Get a little distracted?" Shiro asked with a grin like he knew exactly what Keith had been distracted by.

"I—" Keith started, then looked down to grab the recipe sheet and instead of answering said, "Next is the eggs."

Shiro laughed but stepped closer to hold out the bowl for Keith to crack the eggs into, kissing the top of his head while Keith blushed and pretended to ignore him.

"All that's left is mixing and then we pour it in the pan," Keith said after he'd added the last of the eggs. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"It's a lot easier when I can just do the mixing and not freak out that I've added too much or too little of something and then add extra or toss it all out to start from scratch and end up either ruining the whole thing or running out of ingredients. Thanks for the help," Shiro said, leaning over and waiting for a kiss. Keith's hands were sticky with egg and still holding the shells so he gave Shiro a quick peck before moving to the sink behind him.

"Always happy to," Keith said, giving Shiro an affectionate and gentle tap on the butt with his foot while he cleaned off his hands.

Once his hands were no longer sticky, he moved back to Shiro's side. As Shiro continued to whisk and beat the batter, this time Keith didn't settle for just watching and lifted his hands up to Shiro's arm, squeezing it and making Shiro laugh and flex it for him.

"You like that?" Shiro asked, bumping his hip against Keith's.

"Mmm. Get kinda jealous Andy gets to grab on them whenever you're holding her," he said, gently rubbing his hands around Shiro's arm. It made Shiro's stirring slow and less rhythmic but neither of them were interested in making Keith stop.

"Who says _you_ can't grab them whenever you want to? I'm yours to squeeze at all times."

Keith laughed, but felt a sharp, sudden sting in his chest. It was hard to manhandle his husband when his husband just wasn't _there_ for most of the day. He was gone by the time Keith woke up and sometimes didn't get back until Keith was already asleep, tired of a whole day taking care of the baby and getting his own work done. But he did have weekends at home and Keith knew he shouldn't be greedy for more of Shiro's time when he already got so much else from him, so he squashed down on that stinging feeling and playfully nipped at Shiro's skin over before pressing a kiss over it.

"Think it's ready?" Keith asked, looking down at the bowl.

Shiro hummed, stirring a few more times. "Moment of truth," he said, lifting up the spoon to Keith's mouth.

Keith took a very slow, dramatic lick and made a show of considering the flavor as Shiro watched him with wide eyes—though whether that was because of his nerves over the taste or the exaggerated way Keith had used his tongue, Keith didn't know for sure. He dragged the moment on for a bit longer before giving Shiro a wide smile and taking another lick off the spoon.

"Tastes chocolatey," Keith announced and Shiro's shoulders sagged with relief. Shiro popped Keith on the nose with the spoon and made him squawk as it left a large dab of chocolatey batter, but before he could wipe it off himself Shiro leaned in to lick it off of him.

"You're right. Very chocolately."

Keith wiggled his nose at the feeling while Shiro grinned at him, but two could play at that game. Sticking his finger into the bowl, Keith scooped out a decent sized dollop and spread it across Shiro's cheek while he groaned, trying to move his head away too late.

"Wait! Wait, let's at least pour _some_ of it in a pan to get baked," Shiro laughed, running around the island with the mixing bowl to keep it out of Keith's reach. Keith stuck out his tongue at him but didn't chase.

"Just save a little," Keith said as he licked his finger clean. "We should give Andy a bite."

"Oh, is baby girl ready for some chocolate?" Shiro called out as he scooped the batter into the baking pan Keith had set out. Andy made a loud noise in response to her dad's voice and Keith watched her grab at the mesh side of the playpen. She wasn't walking yet but sometimes she managed to stand up on her own and Keith always made sure his phone was handy in case he needed to record it happening.

"There, I think that's even enough," Shiro said, moving the spoon across the pan to make sure the batter was spread out across the whole thing. "Ready for the oven?"

"Looks like it. I'll set the timer for a little less than the recipe says, that way we'll be able to put it back in for a few extra minutes if it's not done by then but won't risk leaving it in too long, either."

"You handle that, the less involved I am with the baking part, the less burnt things will be," Shiro laughed and Keith carefully set the timer for half an hour on the oven as Shiro slid the pan inside and closed the door. "Okay, it's in... Well, good luck," Shiro said with a mock salute at it and Keith snorted.

"It'll be fine," Keith reassured, giving him a teasing squeeze on the arm. "Now get some spoons, I'll grab Andy."

She was already eagerly reaching up from where she was sitting in her playpen when Keith walked over, her hands squeezing in air for her dad to pick her up. He gave her cheek a soft kiss once she was in his arms but frowned when he pulled away and realized he'd left a spot of chocolate from where Shiro hadn't completely cleaned it off his nose.

"She's probably gonna get messy, huh?" he asked aloud, wiping at the spot with his finger.

"Of course she is," Shiro answered, "She's a baby and we're giving her cake batter, the only result _is_ mess. But it'll be a tasty mess."

Keith hummed, wondering if maybe he should've waited to shower until after their morning baking experiment. Andy's fingers were already grabbing at his hair again and he knew once she got chocolate on them, it'd get in his hair, too.

"Hey, Shiro?"

"Want me to tie your hair up?" Shiro asked, already sensing what he was thinking.

"Yeah, I've got a tie in my pocket," Keith said. He walked over to where Shiro had set out spoons and paper towels for the three of them with Andy on his hip. Shiro reached a hand into each of Keith's pockets until he found the tie and then spun Keith around by the shoulders so he could more easily gather up his hair.

Andy made a loud grunt when Shiro pried the hair from her fingers, upset that she was being denied one of her favorite playthings.

"Sorry, baby," Shiro cooed, "Papa doesn't want cake in his hair."

"She'll probably still get it in my bangs. But oh well, I can just shower again."

"She's going to need a bath afterwards, anyway. We can take one together," Shiro said, kissing the back of Keith's neck beneath his freshly tied ponytail. Keith shivered a little and bounced Andy lightly.

"How's that sound, Andy? A nice warm bath with Daddy?"

Her fist was in her mouth now and she looked between them but didn't make any noise, her other hand fingering at the collar of Keith's shirt.

"I think she likes that idea," Shiro said with confidence before taking Keith by the shoulders again and steering him over to the mixing bowl with the remains of the batter. He grabbed the three spoons and scooped out a lot on the first two, and then a tiny little bit for Andy's. "Now say 'ahh,'" he instructed to the both of them, holding out the small spoon for Andy and one of the bigger ones for Keith.

Keith licked up his spoonful quickly and watched their daughter poke at the chocolate batter curiously, more interested in touching it than eating it. Shiro slowly brought his own spoonful to his mouth, trying to make a show for her to mimic, but she just pulled the spoon from his hand and pressed it against her own nose, giggling when it made Keith gasp.

"No, no, baby, in your _mouth_ , not your nose," Shiro laughed, wrestling her for the spoon. Keith wiped the batter off her skin when Shiro got the spoon away and held his finger up to her mouth which she grabbed onto but wouldn't let into her mouth.

"Does she not like chocolate? I thought she liked chocolate," Keith asked, frowning.

"Here," Shiro said and held up his own fingerful of batter for Keith. "Maybe we can get her to copy us."

"Like this, Andy, watch Papa," Keith said, wrapping his lips around Shiro's finger and pulling off the chocolate. He licked his lips the same way he did when he fed her dinner to make her know it was tasty and then watched her carefully as very slowly, she pulled Keith's fingertip into her mouth to taste the chocolate mix.

Andy's face immediately lit up at the flavor, making them both laugh. "Oh, I think we've got a winner. I think she likes it," Shiro said, giving Keith's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Let's give her a little more."

"Not _too_ much. It is full of sugar," Keith said, stepping over to the mixing bowl. Spoiling Andy with toys was one thing. Filling her up on sugar and messing up her sleep schedule—and thereby _his_ sleep schedule—was another.

"You give her the next bite then, I'll be right back," Shiro said before stepping out of sight.

Now that she knew what they were letting her taste, Andy was much louder and demanding as she reached for the tiny spoon Keith was filling up for her. For some reason she didn't want to eat it off the spoon once he held it up for her and kept sticking her own fingers in it to lick off of them instead but Keith had learned to just accept weird baby things like that and watched her, smiling as she delighted in the chocolate treat.

"Okay, I know we said no gifts and the cake is supposed to be my treat, but I do have one small surprise for you," Shiro was saying as he walked back into the kitchen.

Keith turned and dropped his eyes down to what looked like a notebook in Shiro's hands, though as he stepped closer Keith recognized it as his schedule and his eyebrows furrowed. He looked back up, confused why Shiro was bringing it out. Maybe he'd made dinner reservations at some place fancy tonight? But Keith would've much rather the three of them all stay at home for a long, simple day together.

Shiro held it out for a moment but realized Keith still had his hands full and opened it himself, bringing the pages to March. They were... empty, which just made Keith even more confused.

"I'm taking some time off. Sort of. I'll still have to do conference calls from here but my part in the project doesn't need me in the office after this month. At least for a little while."

Keith stared at the empty pages, reaching forward slowly and flipping through. They were clear through the summer, with only notes for Andy's birthday and their anniversary.

"You can always kick me out if you get tired of me being around all day, they'll still let me work in the office if I want to," Shiro said with a small laugh when Keith stayed silent.

"No," Keith hissed, looking up with wide eyes. "I might never let you go back."

Shiro was surprised for a second, but soon he was beaming as he leaned in to kiss Keith and Keith gripped his shirt, intending to hold him close forever. Between them, Andy made impatient noises for more batter and pressed her sticky, chocolate-covered fingers to their clothes and skin, trying to get their attention, but they spent a few more moments wrapped up in just each other, not caring about the spreading mess. Eventually they managed to break apart but neither of them could stop smiling, Shiro's hand slipping together with Keith's while he used the other to wipe off Andy's face and fingers.

The cake did end up a little burnt around the edges by the time they got it out of the oven, but more overwhelming was the flavor of love and chocolate in every bite.


End file.
